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Saturday, November 15, 2008

Mûre et Musc, the emblem fragrance of L’Artisan Parfumeur is 30 years old this year. To celebrate the anniversary, L’Artisan Parfumeur created its first Extrait de Parfum/Pure Perfume, Mûre et Musc Extrait and a special Limited Edition for Christmas.Created by Bertrand Duchaufour, Mûre et Musc Extrait de Parfumtakes this most essence-heavy and intimate of fragrance concentrations and interprets the bestselling classic Mûre et Musc by using the finest, most exceptional raw materials.Extrait highlights the fruity, musky perfume of blackberries warmed in the sun, sensual and enveloping. With the radiant sparkle of its top notes, the extract creates an effect of freshness with citrus fruits (kumquat, bergamot) and aromatic notes lead by basil. Spicy notes (pink and black pepper) strengthen its contrast and add to its enchantment. The heart has the fruity note of the blackberry dressed with more heady floral notes, of Turkish rose essential oil and iris absolute, which add richness and femininity. The base of patchouli and oakmoss are the signature of this typical chypre harmony. The smooth and velvety leather note with a hint of vanilla, brings distinction, the elegance of the extract and even more femininity.

The extract is presented in a 15 ml/0.5oz bottle with the seven symbolic facets of L’Artisan Parfumeur and a cap made of zamac finely engraved with the coat of arms. It comes in its own box of subtle warm gold and black and purple lacquers. A 15 ml refill comes with this special bottle.This winter, for its anniversary, limited edition bottles of Mûre et Musc get dressed in wild and wonderful blackberry. Mûre et Musc Extrême does the same: the bottles are dressed for the occasion! Finely engraved blackberries ornate every facet, dark purple lacquer creates a stunning effect of light and shadow. Subtle shades of purple lacquer and warm gold illuminate the packaging.Another new addition this Christmas, this time for the home fragrance collection, is Necessaire à Parfumer la Lingerie: a set of sachets and lingerie bags. A trademark elegant black L’Artisan Parfumeur case with three drawers contains four perfumed cushions and two lingerie bags. The materials used for the collection come from the best addresses of Paris : ribbons from Mokuba, fabrics from Lelièvreinto … The designs play with geometric forms, mix croquets, flounces, laces and satin in gold, bronze, silver and grey colors, timeless but also recalling the spirit of Fall/Winter 2008-2009 fashion. Also available as Petit Necessaire à Parfumer la Lingerie, a set of two scented cushions.

6 comments:

Interesting to see this today, as just a few days ago, by chance, I ended up reading several old M&M reviews on many sites and decided to wear it the next day. I sometimes forget about it in the midst of all the new launches we're bombarded with, and sometimes I see it on the shelf and think it's too "boring," but it's always so nice to come back to from time to time even though it seems deceptively simple.

Somehow, I've yet to try M&M Extreme, but I'm curious about the notes in the extrait -- interesting to me that they're adding some patch & moss to the base, as well as some leather. I'm very curious to try, but at that price point ($280/30ml) I won't be rushing out to buy. Maybe this 30th anniversary will create a revival of interest in M&M. It's hard to tell if it has "classic" status among perfumistas, but I, for one, enjoy having it in my collection.

I think there is: the leather part is certainly new and I believe there has been some tampering of the formula in order to revert to the splendour of the original that the restrictions on musks have subtracted from it.

how wonderful!I do think it's a classic, if only because it was the first one pairing those two elements: in the time frame it was quite a departure from the opulent exotic fragrances of the era and it brought a new innocence.

I prefer the EDT myself to the Extreme, although the staying power isn't spectacular. I am curious as to how Duchaufour has fleshed out the parfum: I think a decant will be in order, I am keeping my eyes peeled ;-)

Elena Vosnaki is executive editor of Fragrantica.gr, the leader in fragrance information in Greek, as well as a senior editor for the top english-speaking Fragrantica.com webzine.

Vosnaki has been Fragrance Expert on About.com and the Perfume History Curator of the Be Open Foundation exhibitionThe Garden of Wonders, A Journey in Scents in Milan. Her writing has been twice shortlisted in the FIFI Editorial Excellence Awards and is extensively quoted by authors. She is an evaluating expert on Osmoz.com.

Perfume Shrine is an award winning blog of 1000s of fragrance reviews (modern, niche, classic, vintage), articles on perfume history and aroma materials, comparisons of scents, interviews with perfumers & the fragrance industry, perfume shopping as well as scented travel memoirs, fine cuisine, tips on building a fragrance wardrobe and musings about the pleasures of the senses.